Yet another perk of public sector work in the U.S.A

[SGB]

This could just as easily have happened at any city council or planning commission meeting.

 

[Chet]

A few years ago we had a former alderman threaten to shoot our building dept director, and no one bothered to call the police. sad.

 

[donk]

I've had a few death and physical harm threats made to me, I was told to grow a thick skin.

It is not too funny when they follow you home and make threats about your animals and buildings on your property.

 

[Downtown]

One of my friends in South Carolina had a restraining order against a local who one day, when she had to deny his septic tank permit, reached over the counter and started choking her.

 

[giff57]

In my old "town next door", back in the eighties a guy was pissed about a sewer problem and went to a city council meeting a killed several of them. One of my CE regulars told me one day "this is not a threat, but now I know why that guy did what he did"

I watched my back for a while after that

 

[Jeff]

Judging by the title of the thread I thought you were going to tel me you had off for Simon Bolivar's birthday next week.

 

[Dan]

At my first job, I had one guy jump the counter (he didn't make it), and then threaten to come back and shoot the entire Planning Department, because I told him the zoning regulations didn't permit a 12' (~4 meter) high chain link fence topped with concertina wire around his entire property. The property? A 4,000 square foot (~375 square meter) lot in a low-end subdivision. He wanted the fence because his Camaro was stolen.

There was also a manager of a Sears automotive department there who jumped into his car and tried to chase me (in a city car) for a few miles, because I was doing sign code enforcement and they had an illegal inflatable gorilla on the roof.

 

[pete-rock]

I was doing a windshield land use survey in my car in a dicey neighborhood once. I was driving down a residential street and stopped at a stop sign when I noticed that the vehicle going the opposite direction started to shoot at an abandoned house.

This guy noticed that I saw him shoot at the house and I sped away, but he followed me for about four blocks, both of us reaching about 70 mph, shooting at me! I remember pedestrians on the sidewalk diving behind trees and cars. I got to a main street and he decided not to pursue my anymore. Fortunately for me this guy was a horrible shot; there was only one grazing mark on the top of my Ford Escort, and I believe he shot maybe 10-15 times.

I drove straight home, called the police, called my job, and re-evaluated my decision to become a planner.

 

[PlannerGirl]

Damn!

There were the normal "im gonna come kick your *bleep* if you dont approve my *beeping* plan" calls

I think for me the worst part has been going on site inspections and having men try to grope, offer, expose etc parts being a woman on some construction sites alone was pretty scary

 

[Zoning Goddess]

I have been at public hearings so volatile that bags were searched at the door, deputies assigned to follow the "crazies" around the room, and my boss told me to sit off to the site with no ID that I was a county employee, for my own safety.

The closest I've come to violence was when a just-paroled murderer (killed his mother) came to a Planning Commission meeting to get the prosecutor (who had become deputy county attorney) who convicted him. Bailiffs were called and they removed him without incident.

 

[donk]

A few of the hearings I've been to out in the rural areas we inform the police that they will be occurring and ask for a direct line to one of the patrol cars.

Other hints for contentious meetings

1) No ties, they can be grabbed, it happened to my previous supervisor.
2) back into your parking spot, makes it easier to get out and away.
3) Park so you can't get blocked in
4) drive a rental.

 

[Chet]

Duck and Cover

Shots were just reported to be fired in the NYC City Hall.

 

[Jeff]

Mr CNN Breaking News strikes again!

Gunshots Heard At New York's City Hall
BREAKING NEWS: About one dozen gunshots rang out Wednesday afternoon at New
York's City Hall. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg was unhurt, his spokesman
said. We'll have updates on this story on NBC 10 News at 4 p.m.
MORE DETAILS: <http://treets.nbc10.com/svc/lnk.cfm?l=24099341&t=1>

 

[SGB]

Two said hurt in Gunfire at NYC City Hall

 

[biscuit]

Geeez...I'm curious how he could get a gun into council chambers. Here there are metal detectors and x-ray machines at the entrances of major city office buildings. You would think that NYC would have at least that much security.

 

[Jeff]

One of the Councilmen just died.

Councilman Dead After New York City Hall Shooting
BREAKING NEWS: Brooklyn Councilman James Davis is now dead after a gunman
opened fire from a balcony at New York's City Hall on Wednesday afternoon.
Another victim is in critical condition as police closed down much of Manhattan
in a manhunt for the shooter.
MORE DETAILS: <http://treets.nbc10.com/svc/lnk.cfm?l=24102847&t=1>

 

[mike gurnee]

Zoning map amendment petition. After I recommended denial, the applicant loudly stated: I guess I will just rent it out to (N-word). I more or less lost my cool at that point. We ended up yelling face-to-face. The commission chairman quietly headed for the door (the police were one floor down). I kept waiting for the police, but no show...the chairman had gone home.

At the next meeting, I apoligized to the board, but they refused to accept it; rather, they thought it was nice that a planner can show emotion.

 

[PlannerGirl]

ick, can we get hazard pay?

 

[Zoning Goddess]

ick, can we get hazard pay?

On the flip side, who's "killed" citizens during hearings? The head of Code Enforcement here has had 5 over-excited people bite the dust during Code Board hearings, and holds the County record.

 

[donk]

On the flip side, who's "killed" citizens during hearings?

Thats what you get for living in a state of blue hairs.

 

[Tranplanner]

The scoop on yesterday's shooting in NYC. Seems it wasn't a crazy citizen after all.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/07/23/ny.shooting/index.html

 

[SGB]

Municipal responses across the U.S.

Municipalities Tighten Building Access

 

[Habanero]

The scoop on yesterday's shooting in NYC. Seems it wasn't a crazy citizen after all.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/07/23/ny.shooting/index.html

Yeah, I read that last night. The Councilman walked his once future opponent around the metal detectors and that ends up being the guy who shot him. All of us here have to go through metal detectors, I don't see why they waive that for anyone, especially in NYC where you think security would still be heightened.

Sad though, very sad a dipute of paperwork ended as this did.